Starry Night
by Strifegirl27
Summary: I love you, Stella...It doesn't change anything though, does it?" One last meeting between two lovers....too bad Noctis and Stella didn't live in a perfect world, where their love could flourish.


***waves* Hi fellow Fan Fictioners! **

**So it has been a while since I have written anything....and this barely qualifies as writing....it is more just something that I was thinking about tonight. **

**Hopefully the story is rather clear, but in case it isn't, the background of this one shot is basically that Noctis and Stella have fallen in love while their countries have been bantering back and forth between peace and conflict, but now, war has been declared, and so their relationship must come to an end. I don't know if they are OCC or if this is overly cheesy/emotional/lame, but I really don't care. I'm just writing to expel some of the thoughts that have been bouncing around my head. **

 **So I hope you enjoy it!**

**And lastly, I do not (obviously) own Noctis, Stella, or Final Fantasy Versus XIII....if I did...well I wouldn't be writing this, I would be playing it!**

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Stella sat on the soft green grass, hugging her knees. The warm, summer wind softly tousled her honey blonde hair, and for a moment she was surprised when it tickled her elbows. She mused at how long her hair had gotten since...since the first time she saw him. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips.

"Are you that impatient? I'm only a couple minutes late." He said with a coy expression, his tone layered with emotions saved solely for her.

Her sigh turned into a hum of contentment, but instead of addressing him, she gently lay down. From this angle all she could see was his face above hers, blocking out the stars that were shining brightly. His eyes held amusement and his mouth formed a small smile as he left her vision and lay down beside her. There was silence between them, sweet and unrushed. For a couple of minutes neither of them made a sound, they simply looked at the stars.

Finally she broke the silence, "Thanks for coming." She knew how sacred their time was together, especially now.

"It was the least I could do," he began, but slowly his voice tapered off. Stella turned her gaze from the stars to Noctis, who was still studying the heavens. He continued, "You know why I'm here." She nodded, knowing the subtle motion was observed, she let the silence continue. The quiet stretched between them, until finally Noctis spoke softly, "I'm sorry Stella."

"Me too" was all she said.

"I wish things were different," he began.

Stella cut him off, "But they aren't."

She felt, rather than heard his sigh, "No, they aren't."

"You heard of the declaration of war?" Noctis asked quietly.

"I guessed." Her words were a warm whisper, they seemed to fade into the night.

Once again silence enveloped them, it seemed more fitting than words. The quiet was, somehow, more expressive than anything they could voice aloud. So instead they just lay there, side by side, gazing up at the stars. The night air was filled with a bittersweet melancholy, and one small tear escaped her. Gently she brushed it away, and once again turned her head to look at the man beside her.

"Noctis?" Her tone surprised her, soft and questioning, but steady, betraying the emotion inside of her. He turned to meet her eyes. "You ever wonder..." She began, "What things would be like, if we were just two people, no titles attached?"

He closed his eyes, and a small frown marred his features, "Sometimes." Was the only response he offered.

Stella bit her bottom lip, flipped onto her stomach and continued to watch him. "Me too" She finally whispered.

She looked at the grass, how it enveloped her slender fingers. Gingerly so as not to break the delicate blades, Stella combed her fingers through the lush greens. She was surprised when Noctis' hand came to rest on her own, because of the tenuous political currents between their countries, they constantly maintained a very strict physical barrier. So when she moved to shoot a curious look his way, she was surprised once again to find his face dangerously close to hers. Their eyes locked, she felt his hands intertwine with hers, then he brushed his lips to hers. Her eyes closed involuntarily, and even though it was over before it began, the emotion in that short kiss was enough to crush her. She looked away, but still held his hands.

"I love you, Stella." He said quietly, his voice husky with emotion.

"I...." She hesitated, not because it would be untrue to echo his words, but because she knew it was pointless, "I love you too, Noctis."

"It doesn't change anything though, does it?" He asked sadly.

She forced herself to meet his azure eyes, "No, It doesn't" she replied. He looked down, and withdrew his hands. "I'm sorry." She offered.

A rare chuckle escaped his lips, though it sounded as sad as it did bitter. "It's alright, I signed the declaration of war, just as you will sign your own country's declaration."

Stella nodded, glad for his light tone, glad for anything that released the intensity of the moment they had just shared. A simple "yep" was all she could respond with. He sighed.

"I think...I think we both knew how this would end" She started, then glanced at him. The look in Noctis' eyes was enough to confirm her words. "We just weren't meant to be.....we are too far apart, geographically, politically....there were just too many things working against us" He nodded, once again confirming her words. "I think in a perfect world, though, you would be my prince, and I would be your princess. You would be the light of my night sky, and I would be your everything. But....it's not a perfect world, and we are just not meant to be." His silence bothered her, she sat up once again, afraid she had said too much. With her back to him, she wiped away another traitorous tear.

Slowly he sat up too. Finally he spoke, "It doesn't change how I feel about you, none of it can." He shuffled closer to her until he was able to hug her from behind, she rested her head on his shoulder and leaned into his embrace. Her hair brushed his lips as he breathed in the scent of her, his words were little more than a whisper in her ear, "If I could pause this moment forever I would." Stella sighed, exhaling both her pleasure at his statement, and the melancholy of the moment.

"But we have to go" She said simply after a time. She felt his nod. Stella sat up and brushed the grass off of her legs.

"I do have to leave, my time here is spent." Noctis said not looking her in the eye.

"I understand, I will...." Stella paused, "I will see you on the battlefield." To lighten up the moment she added, "I will try not to leave any permanent scars on you." She laughed shallowly, to hide the pain of that truth.

Noctis, who was already standing, knelt down and pulled her chin up with his finger. Their foreheads met, but merely in an intimate pose. "It's far too late to avoid permanent damage." He murmured, his breath hot on her cheek. And with that, he left, disappearing into his namesake. Once again Stella found herself lying on the grass, her heart throbbing from the tumult of emotions inside her. She allowed herself a minute to dwell on the sadness at her situation, at the unfairness, at the irony. Then she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, she had her duties to attend to, nothing, not even Noctis could come before those. As she stood up and walked away from their grassy haven for the last time, she stopped and glanced at the stars. With a sigh, she walked away, never to return.

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**Well....what did you guys think???**

**Reviews?? **

***puppy eyes* Puhleeeeease???**


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